[Met Tour] CID:82370



Madama Butterfly
Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tue, December 12, 1922




Madama Butterfly (162)
Giacomo Puccini | Luigi Illica/ Giuseppe Giacosa
Cio-Cio-San
Florence Easton

Pinkerton
Mario Chamlee

Suzuki
Flora Perini

Sharpless
Antonio Scotti

Goro
Giordano Paltrinieri

Bonze
William Gustafson

Yamadori
Pietro Audisio

Kate Pinkerton
Grace Anthony

Commissioner
Vincenzo Reschiglian

Yakuside
Paolo Quintina


Conductor
Roberto Moranzoni







Review 1:

Review of Linton Martin in the Philadelphia North American

'MADAMA BUTTERFLY' GIVEN AT ACADEMY

Performance is Artistic Without Any Special Novelty

The annual performance of "Madama Butterfly" was given by the Metropolitan Opera Company at the Academy last night and, while the performance was artistic, there was no element of novelty to claim any particular comment.

Florence Easton, who sang the title role, has been heard in the part here several times before. Mario Chamlee, who was the villain-hero as the faithless "husband," appeared in the same role here just last season, when a sensational aspect was given the performance thru the farewell ovation given to Geraldine Farrar by her Philadelphia admirers. As for the ever-reliable and abundantly familiar characterization of the kindly consul by the veteran Antonio Scotti, it proved as appealing as ever last night, the histrionic art of the famous baritone quite compensating for his vocal deficiencies.

There was, however, a new Suzuki in the person of Flora Perini. This role, long associated with Rita Fornia, who died several months ago, is really of greater importance than is generally recognized, and Miss Perini gave a most sympathetic performance, vocally and in her acting.

Miss Easton has long since established herself as one of the very finest artists now with the Metropolitan Company, and the sound reasons for that high reputation were again revealed in the sincerity and artistic balance with which she infused fresh interest into the hackneyed role of Butterfly last evening. Her voice was always fresh and lovely and employed without a trade of sensational excesses, while her characterization was imbued with true tragic feeling and winsome pathos. It was a consistently developed portrait, rather than one consisting of special bursts of spectacular effort with drab intervals in between.

Mr. Chamlee's voice is of pleasing quality, although his top notes are not marked by any dazzling color, and he was more than equal to the ungrateful acting requirements of the role. Others in the cast were Gustafson, Paltrinieri, Arden and Reschiglian. Roberto Moranzoni conducted conscientiously.



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